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My dog chases her tail and pulls out her hair. What causes this?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Border Collie | Female | unspayed | 8 months and 19 days old

Recently my dog has started to chase her tail but she pulls on it and won't let got so she rips out clumps of hair. What causes this??

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 16th, 2017

Border collies have very high energy levels and need an outlet for their energy, otherwise they can be come destructive to their surroundings or themselves. It sounds to me like your dog has some excess energy building up and the only way June knows how to burn off this energy is by chasing her tail. I would recommend starting some training with her, maybe doing agility training, and exercising her regularly by taking her on fast paced walks for 30 minutes once or twice a day. Once you give her an outlet for her energy this behavior should stop.

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